In the health and diet section of Barnes and Noble, you can find a book justifying just about any diet you could possibly think of (eating only cottage cheese, low carbs, high carbs, no meat, only meat, only grapefruit, etc.), all of which contradict each other. I've come to believe that information on most aspects of health is this way -- saturated with conflicting theories. I have tried to research what caused my cancer, in hope that I might be able to fix whatever was wrong, help my body reach optimum health, and prevent my cancer from ever coming back. Not too surprisingly, I found numerous books and articles that all say something different. But pretty much everybody agrees on some extremely basic principles. Now I know this isn't very scientific, and I don't have any medical studies to back this up, but my super simplified theory which condenses all the things I've heard, read, and learned about cancer (or really any health issue other than things that are genetic) is that it's caused by the perfect storm of a combination of three problems:
1. not enough good stuff
2. too much bad stuff
3. not enough exercise (or sometimes too much exercise)
So the steps I am taking to get myself back to health will all address one of these problems. I will attempt to fill my body and environment with good things, rid it of all the bad things, and make sure my body is getting the appropriate amount of exercise to keep me healthy.
My first step toward health addresses the first problem. In order to ensure that my body gets enough of the good stuff it needs, I am going to start taking multivitamins and supplements every single day. I took a few vitamins and supplements before I got sick, but stopped when I was diagnosed because it was just too much to add to the other fifteen or so pills I was taking every day. Since I stopped treatment, I've gotten a new vitamin regimen and have been taking it every once in a while, but usually forget. Now I am going to make it a priority to take them every single day.
The new vitamins I am taking are called Vitalizer by Shaklee. As I am also trying to put as little bad stuff in my body as possible, it was really important for me to find vitamins that are all-natural instead of synthetic. I was relieved when I found out about the Shaklee Corporation, which helped pioneer the nutritional supplement industry and has been making all natural supplements for over fifty years. Their products are 100% guaranteed to have no dyes, artificial sweeteners, or toxic ink, all of which are unnatural and common in multivitamins. The vitamins I am taking include 80 different nutrients, including all eight B vitamins, all seven omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, and 26 different antioxidants. (I sort of sound like a commercial, don't I? But that's because I really like them!) Shaklee guarantees that if I take these vitamins every single day for thirty days, I will feel better and healthier. So check back in a month and I'll let you know if they work.
You can check them out yourself here.
I've also accomplished a little bit of my goal to try 24 new foods this year. For my birthday, my parents got me the ice cream maker attachment for my kitchenaid stand mixer! So in anticipation of the impending fall, I christened it by making pumpkin ice cream. While I have had pumpkin ice cream before, I've never had
homemade pumpkin ice cream, so I'm going to count it as trying something new. You can call it a cop-out if you want, but twenty-four is a big number! I used the recipe that came with the ice cream maker and, while it tastes delicious, it turned out really rich and rock-hard. If I make it again, I will definitely used a lighter cream than the suggested heavy whipping cream. And does anybody know how to make it softer but not melty? I had to use a steak knife to chip a few pieces off!
I also tried pecan pie for the very first time. I've never been a fan of pecans and had avoided it in the past, but it was the first rainy day we've had in months and my friend Jared made a homemade pecan pie, so I gave in and decided to try it. And I actually liked it! I still don't like pecans and it definitely wouldn't be my first choice, but alas, pecan pie and I are no longer enemies.
xoxo
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